Day 11 – Driving Fog & Bar Games Olympics

From - Bangor (Maine)
To – Brownfield (Maine)
Via – Errol (New Hampshire)
Miles Driven = 239 Miles
Distance Between Bangor and Brownfield in Direct Line = 165 Miles
Additional Miles Driven To See The “Scenic” Route = 74 Miles
Average Visible Distance Thanks To Fog = 7 Metres

Today's Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157609237950067/

Days 11 and 12 are dedicated to heading west to get to Stowe in time for Kate’s birthday so these entries aren’t going to be too interesting as we spent about 6 hours in the car today. Even more disappointingly, it was a really foggy day with spells of torrential rain so visibility was rubbish. It was weird to see that Holly (the sat nav) was telling us that we were driving next to a river but not actually being able to see it. The most embarrassing book we have brought away with us is the Reader’s Digest “120 Scenic Drives Around America” which we had to ask an elderly person to buy for us as there is a 65 year old minimum age limit on it. So far, however, it hasn’t let us down as we have oooo’d and aaaa’d for the best part of two weeks. Today, however, I feel betrayed by it as it we put blind faith in the directions (taking us on a 74 mile detour) but, thanks to the pea-souper, all we got was nauseous from the winding roads. The highlight of the drive is supposed to be the 6500 foot high White Mountain but we could barely see across the road so we now have the unique accolade of having driven for 2 hours down White Mountain Road without actually seeing White Mountain.

Just to hammer home the feeling that today was more of a step sideways than a progression in our trip, our accommodation for the night was back over the state line in Maine. Still, what a place. We had a cottage on Sam Brown Hill Road in Brownfield (nothing to do with the singer of the huge hit Stop in ’88) which was the old Boy’s Club of Brownfield HQ so it was adorned with all sorts of anti-feminism paraphernalia and interesting curiosities like a gramophone, a bar (unstocked, unfortunately) and an olde worlde till. It also came stocked with plenty of games which provided fantastic post-dinner (home made spag bol) entertainment. I taught Kate how to play Texas Hold ‘Em which she picked up far too quickly and then relentlessly whipped my ass at until I went in a strop. Time to move onto darts, a game I would surely win given my previous competitive darts experience…wrong. Thank god I won Trivial Pursuit else I wouldn’t have been able to look myself in the mirror the next day. Oh, and I fairly comfortably won the impromptu boxing match as well.

Back on the road tomorrow…please let the fog lift.